WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate approved the confirmation of Rick Perry as the next secretary of the Department of Energy on Thursday. The vote was 62-37, and included the support of both Texans in the chamber, U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.

Perry will now take over the very department he famously forgot during a presidential debate in 2011 while trying to list the three he wanted to eliminate.

Thursday’s vote marks a striking comeback for Perry, who struggled for years after his disastrous 2011 presidential campaign and was a contestant late last year on “Dancing With the Stars.”